🚙 A federal judge dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing AutoNation of using AI to record, transcribe, and analyze customer calls without consent. The plaintiff argued the practice violated California's strict privacy laws.
🚙 Paragon Honda's Brian Benstock spent his midyear check-in laying out how he's scaling across rooftops, why he thinks F&I is quietly killing repeat business, and where the real service war is actually being fought.
🚙 A 70-store dealer group just admitted out loud that they're "a data company that sells cars," and we can't stop thinking about it. Also today: China's quietly running the R&D show for half the industry, Ram's out here carrying Stellantis on its back, and we sat down with someone who thinks your next ad should stop talking about money.
🚙 A new dealer survey shows short-term profit fear paired with long-term confidence, and where the smart money is already moving. Also today: Toyota bets big on staying close to home, and Slate proves a pricing story is only as strong as whatever protects the number.
🚙 Four data sources just told us the same thing: your shoppers are more confident than last month, but their budgets haven't caught up yet. That gap is where deals get made this week, if you know how to talk about it.
🚙 Sometimes the biggest automotive story isn't about what dealers will sell next year. It's about what manufacturers believe customers will expect ten years from now.
🚙 Today we're separating the headlines from the opportunities. From trade policy and hybrid demand to OEM partnerships and the service lane, we're looking at what's changing, why it matters for dealers, and where you can respond instead of simply react.
🚙 Most stores already have inventory data, transaction data, customer data, and service history. But the real operating knowledge often lives in people. How decisions get made. Who handles exceptions. What standards shape the customer experience? What gets said in coaching sessions, meetings, and hallway conversations.
🚙 Beginning July 14, dealers who don’t properly disclose applicable fees risk losing Deal Ratings and appearing lower in search results. Even if you’re already advertising all-in pricing, it’s worth confirming your inventory feed and CarGurus settings are configured correctly.
🚗 What CDG reminded us about people, AI, and customers
🚙 Our conversation with Yossi Levi went right to the center of dealership operations: marketing, AI, conversion, hospitality, and the people expected to make all of it work.
🚙 The last chip shortage was about supply chains. The next one may be about priorities. As AI companies buy up memory chips at almost any price, automakers are discovering they're competing for a different piece of the semiconductor market than many expected.
🚙 Today, we’re starting with a first look at new EV battery data that dealers can use right now. The study raises a practical question for every store handling used EVs: can your team clearly explain battery health at appraisal, pricing, and the point of sale?
🚙 Today, we're looking at how retailers are responding to affordability pressures, inventory challenges, shifting customer expectations, and new technology, plus what Carvana's latest retail experiment reveals about where shopping may be headed.
